The Message of the Cross

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The Message of the Cross

The Flesh Must Die

Zechariah 13:7-9 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.

This is a prophetic verse and is the message of the Cross. The Cross is an instrument of death. The Lord of the Church is smote; He is struck and caused to die and the sheep are scattered.

Recall that when Jesus was taken away, even Peter, one of the Lord's most faithful followers, denied Him. The sheep were literally scattered. Because the death that Jesus endured was so horrific and horrendous, God caused the sheep to be scattered.

According to the prophet Zechariah, two-thirds of the people shall be cut off and die, but one-third shall be left. Further, it says that God is going to refine that remnant with fire and test them as gold is tested. This is an indication of real testing.

When you come to Christ, you must understand that you are entering into a New Covenant with Him. This New Covenant requires the Old Man to be crucified with Christ Jesus. The fire of God is what is going to refine you. That is the fire of God's love, the Holy Spirit. God is light and an all-consuming fire. God is going to test us as gold is tested.

All who come to Christ go through a wilderness experience initially, just as Jesus was led into the wilderness and was tested. Some are going to fall in the wilderness because they have no root. They will wither and be carried away by the lusts of the world, by the deceitfulness of sin, and by the flesh.

God's answer to the flesh is the cross. God is going to refine you. Overcomers will be refined.

These are the true followers of Christ. How prepared are you to be refined? Are you prepared to lose your life?  Jesus said, "Those who lose their life for my sake shall find it."

Christianity today has become very watered down. It has been diluted and the leaven has come in and corrupted the Word of God. The true Word of God is about dying. Dying to self is not something that you can endure without the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one who prepares you and gives you the power and strength to deny yourself through His love.

It is through relationship and the love of Christ that you deny yourself, follow Him, and come to know Him. When you really know Christ Jesus, and know His love by faith, then you enter into Him through His flesh. The veil was rent and the middle wall of separation was ripped down (Ephesians 2:14), and you were allowed to enter into Christ freely through faith.

Nothing that you did qualifies you to enter into Christ. Salvation does not come through your works. Salvation comes purely by love, the grace of God, and Christ's awesome sacrifice that He endured on the Cross at Calvary for you.

Flesh and Blood Shall Not Inherit the Kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

There is a law working through the flesh, the Law of Sin and Death. It is in opposition to the Law of Liberty, which is the Law of the Spirit in Christ Jesus.

There is a war in your members. Your flesh is lusting against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh.

Romans 8:78 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

In the book of Romans, Paul unfolds the revelation that righteousness is achieved by faith and the finished, atoning work of Jesus Christ on the Cross, and not through the Old Testament Law.

It is essential for you to realize that going under the Old Testament Law is to abide in the flesh. Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law for you on the Cross. He said, "It is finished," and that He "did not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill the Law". Jesus Christ has fulfilled the Law.

What Christ did essentially was to write God's Law on your heart. He did this so that you would not have to become a servant or slave to the Old Law, but rather could become a slave to righteousness in Christ Jesus.

Jesus fulfilled the Law for you. You do not have to attempt to fulfill the Law yourself because Jesus has done it for you.

In Christ Jesus, you are victorious. You enter into the nature of Christ through faith. You adopt and inherit the righteousness of God. You must not go under the requirements of the Law, which Christ Jesus has already fulfilled for you. To go under the Old Testament Law is to fall from grace.

Do not ever try to keep the Sabbath or any other Old Testament Laws, where you are trying to fulfill the requirements yourself. The righteousness of Christ will come through Christ naturally by being led by the Spirit, not by being led by the Law.

There are two paths that a Christian can take: being led by the flesh through the Old Testament Law or being led by the Spirit through the Law of Liberty. The Law of Liberty sets you free from the Law of Sin and Death. You are no longer under the Law but Christ. You have been effectively set free from your carnal mind and your flesh.

John 10:17-18 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

Jesus came to earth to lay down His life. It is important that you understand that Jesus paid the price for you by laying down His life. He was the only one who was able to pay that price.

No one else was able to do that. The main purpose of Jesus being hung on the Cross was for Him to die. His death made it possible for you to have everlasting life.

Romans 6:11  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

This is you following Christ through the real Gospel. The true Gospel of Jesus Christ is that you, exactly like Christ Jesus, would lay down your life.

Jesus could have been an earthly ruler if He had wanted to be. He could have chosen to inherit the whole world during His time on earth. But if He had chosen that path, the end of it would have been death.

It's the same with you. When you desire to be an earthly ruler or desire to have the things of this world, that path will also lead to your death.  You must realize that the only way out is to die to yourself.

By faith you can allow God to take your life, and to create the new born again man, the new creation in Christ. Those who lose their life will find it.

That's a mystery to many people.

This is a truth that separates Christianity from all other religions. True Christians become citizens of Heaven now, even while still being here on earth. Spiritually, the believer is seated in heavenly places. The New Man, the new creature in Christ is neither male nor female, neither Jew nor Greek. It is a New Man in Christ, clothed in His righteousness.

You must understand the new identity that you have been given in Christ. Anyone actively wrestling with the Law of Sin and Death has yet to learn to die and to lay down their old carnal man. The old carnal man is an enemy of God. You do not want to be an enemy of God, but an heir and son of God. The way you do that is by imitating Christ. To imitate Christ is to lay down your life, to follow Him, and to take up your Cross.

Have you really made the decision to lay down your life daily that Christ may raise you up?

When you get up in the morning, and say that you will take up your Cross with Christ it is Jesus that raises you up and gives you the power and strength to walk in the newness of life and in the New Man.  

Self Must Die That Christ May Reign

God's answer to the seed of Adam, to the sin nature is the Cross. The sin nature, the seed of Adam, is tied to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. God has to cut you off from eating from that evil tree so that you may eat from the Tree of Life in Christ. When you eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil you are eating from the table of demons. God has separated you from that table and has seated you in heavenly places at His table.

Take up your cross and follow Jesus.

Matthew 16:24-25 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

For anyone wrestling with sin, this is the key for you to be free from the Law of Sin and Death: lose your life in Christ.

John 10:17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

This power is given to you if you choose to be IN Christ. You also have this authority by command of the Lord. However, you must decide of your own free will to lay down your life.

It is a sacrifice.

That is why the Bible tells you to present yourself as a living sacrifice, which is holy and acceptable to God. This is your reasonable service because Christ has done it all for you. He suffered a real, physical death on that real, physical cross of Calvary because you were not able to endure that.

If you had to endure the Cross there would have been no fruit from that exercise. Only Jesus was able to endure the suffering of the Cross.

Your reasonable service is to present yourself as a living sacrifice, which means that you must die to yourself. To follow Christ means to be a disciple of Jesus and to walk as He walked.

What did Jesus do when He walked? He denied himself.

When Jesus walked in the power of the Holy Spirit, after being baptized by John in the Jordan River, He denied self. He said that he did not come to be served but to serve.

Denying self is dying, following the Lord, and allowing His will to be done and not yours.  Like the Lord's prayer, you must be willing to say, "Your will be done and not mine, Lord".

Self must come off the throne. Self is the carnal man, that old carnal nature. God's solution for your carnal nature is to kill it. It is the only way that God can redeem you from the curse and remove you from being under the Law of Sin and Death. He had to declare a death sentence over your old self. The old nature, i.e., the old man must die!

If you're in Christianity and you're not being taught to die to yourself, then you've got a different gospel.

Again, following Christ means that you are a disciple of Jesus, to walk as He walked, take up your cross, die to self, and to lay down your life completely, including your mind, will, and emotions. With man this is impossible, you will not be able to do that in your own strength. You can only do that by faith in the finished, atoning work of the Cross of Jesus Christ.

Just as the Jews looked upon the bronze serpent in the wilderness that Moses lifted up in answer to their rebellion, you must look to Christ Jesus. God healed the Jews' rebellion just by them looking upon that serpent. All they had to do was look at that brass serpent to receive their healing.

This is a type and shadow of Christ. All you have to do is believe. Look at His finished, atoning work at the Cross of Calvary, and receive it by faith. Repent and believe!

Salvation comes not from going under any law, but purely by faith. Righteousness is received by faith! Receive it by believing.

Luke 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Can you understand how your flesh and self can interfere with your walk with Christ?

This is a hard message for a lot of Christians to receive. But, the only way that we can truly die to self is by the Holy Spirit. He is the only one that can give you the power to crucify your flesh. If you try to do it by yourself, you will fail.

It is a choice that you have to make. You have to surrender. You must put your hands up and surrender your life to Christ, die to self, trust God, take up your Cross, and follow Him. In doing so, you will be made righteous by faith and trusting in the Lord.

Suffering for Righteousness Sake

1 Peter 2:19-20 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.

The gospel will bring suffering. It is guaranteed. The Word of God tells you not to be surprised when you are persecuted because Satan is going to come after you. He will test you. He will sift you.

Can you see the difference between the Spirit and the flesh? If you're in the flesh and you're being persecuted, then your reaction will be to get offended, to blame, or to lash out. However, if you're in the Spirit, then you will bear it patiently with long suffering.

You will do what is right because you are being led by the Holy Spirit, led by His power and not yours. If you abide in the flesh, you are not going to please God. You will not bring forth fruit that is acceptable to God. 

The only fruit that is acceptable to God is the work of the Spirit in Christ Jesus. Those are called perfect works.

Your works, on the other hand, are like filthy rags in the sight of God.

God's works are perfect. These are acceptable and pleasing to Him because they are done in His righteousness, not yours.

If you're trying to endure persecution and suffering in your own strength, that's you operating in self-righteousness. That's a stench in God's nostrils.

Do not be surprised when persecution comes. Be prepared to suffer. When you suffer for righteousness, you will receive a great reward from the Lord. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake.

This is an example of taking up your cross with Jesus being your example.

You must ask yourself questions like these:

• Is it you that lives or is it Christ that lives through you?

• Does your flesh rule through the Old Man that has refused to die?

• Are you abiding in the power of God through the Word, which produces the peace of God.

You have to learn to discern the flesh from Christ.

The fruit in your life is the first thing that you need to look at: your mind, your will, and your emotions will clearly show you what is going on.

You will know in your spirit. The Holy Spirit will guide you and lead you into all truth. There are many indicators that will give you insight as to whether you are being led by the flesh or the Spirit.

2 Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

Do not be surprised when persecution comes. Count it with all joy when people say all things against you, knowing that great is your reward in Heaven.

• Are you prepared to be separated from the goats?

• Are you prepared to make a stand for Christ?

• Are you prepared to lose your life?

Overcomers, it says in Revelation, overcome by the Blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony, and by loving not their life unto death.

If you have a problem with separating from out of the world, then you must look at that closely because that is more than likely is rooted in the fear of man. Fear of man is a sin and must be repented of.

1 Peter 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

The real church of Jesus Christ looks like Jesus. He is the church and you are part of His body. When believers come together collectively, it is the body of Christ, his Church. Jesus said that He would build His Church. You are the Church. You are Jesus being manifested through you.

So, if you want to know what the real Church of Jesus Christ looks like, look at Jesus, not the organization in the world. That is not the true Church. The real Church is Jesus Christ.

Follow the steps of Christ. If you want to be the Church, follow Jesus and do what He did.

Mark 16 refers to the signs that would follow those that believe.

1 Peter 2:22-23 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.

Jesus was led by the Spirit, not by the flesh.

He listened to His father. Everything that Jesus did was not of His own will, but of the Father's will. He followed the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit told him and showed Him what to say and what to do.

1 Peter 2:24-25 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.  For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

We are to be imitators of Christ, who is the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls.

Who and what are you being led by?

• Are you being led by your selfish, carnal mind, which Is connected to Satan? This old nature is the nature of Adam, which feeds from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  

• Or are you being led by the Holy Spirit, trusting in God, and believing Him, His Word, and His promises?

Walking in the Spirit is abiding in the promises of God, through His Word by faith. If you want to walk in the Spirit, then it is important for you to feed on the Word. When you abide in the Word, it will bring faith. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

The Word is Jesus. Jesus is the Shepherd. The Word is our Shepherd. The Shepherd of our souls is the Word of God. So, when you abide by faith and hope, and love in the promises of God, then you will walk in the Spirit.

You must not walk with your natural eyes, but with your spiritual eyes and ears. You must not listen to the flesh or to the satanic nature of sin that works through your flesh.

Many Christians do not understand this truth. Because of that, they are still wrestling with their sin nature and remaining slaves to sin rather than becoming slaves to righteousness.

When you are a slave to righteousness, you've become an heir with Christ. God makes you into a son of God, no longer a slave to sin tossed to and fro.

If you lose your life now, then you won't have to lose your life later. If you do not bear your own cross, then you will not receive the crown of life.

Religion won't give you a cross, but it will bring death. The Cross will bring the crown of life.

Self is your enemy. When you look in the mirror, you need to see Christ. If you look in the mirror and see self, then you are seeing your enemy. You must see Christ. The Old Man, the old nature has to die in Christ so that the New Man in Jesus Christ may be manifested in you through the Spirit.

Matthew 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Matthew 5:44-48  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Religion cannot give you the spirit-filled life. Christ, through the real cross of Jesus Christ will bring that perfection in Him. Even Jesus forgave those that betrayed Him on the cross. So must you.

Self is the enemy lurking in the shadows. You must crucify self, before self crucifies you. 

Satan is the root cause of all of your problems, but the vehicle that Satan uses to accomplish evil is your carnal nature. Your flesh is deceitful. Your Old Man is out to destroy you. It is yoked to Satan, and it is evil.

God's only answer to your Old Nature is the Cross. That is what the cross is there for: to crucify the Old Nature.

Discerning the Flesh and the Spirit

You must learn to discern evil.

• Do you allow your flesh to agree with evil by arguing or getting angry?

• Or do you align yourself with the Spirit, resist the flesh, and obey the Word of God by faith?

It is not through the Law. It is not through your own self-righteousness. It is only by faith in Jesus Christ and the promises of God through His Word.

You must allow the New Man to come forth, just as Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb and caused the grave clothes to fall from him. That is a type and shadow of the New Birth. This is an example of abiding in Christ. Abiding in Christ will cause the fruit of the Spirit to manifest in your Spirit Man.

Christ has clothed you in His righteousness, hiding the shame of your nakedness. Without Christ, you are naked. When they sinned, Adam and Eve recognized their own nakedness.

Attempting to clothe yourself in your own self righteousness is like Adam and Eve's attempts to clothe themselves in fig leaves. God's answer is His righteousness.

You must be clothed in Him and His light. Christ is light. God clothes you in His righteousness, His light, and His nature.

You need to see yourself as a New Creature in Christ, and as a New Man.

You are perfect in Christ. Because of that, there is therefore no condemnation in Christ. It is important that you have that revelation.

There is neither male, nor female, Jew nor Greek. All things are new and you are free.

He who the Son sets free is free indeed. Your new spiritual man is perfect before God that's why it says you can enter boldly into the throne room of grace before God.

Your true identity is in Christ.

Beware that the light in you is not darkness.

How do you know that you are truly abiding in Christ?

You know if you obey His Word. Jesus said that He knows His sheep because they obey Him and hear His voice.

The Cross brings forth fruit. Deny your flesh and it will die!

Do not feed your flesh. It loves leaven, which is false doctrine. Avoid the leaven of the Pharisees, including anger, unforgiveness, contention, and all other fruit of the flesh.

Your Old Man has been nailed to the spiritual cross. But, it is your choice if you allow it come down off the Cross and show itself as God.

If Jesus, while He was being crucified, had gotten down off the Cross, the Israelites probably would have mad Him the King of all of Isreal in the flesh. He could have been made into an Emperor or other world ruler, and glorified in this world. If that had occurred, it would have destroyed the plan of God.     

Jesus crucified His Old Man. Jesus was the Son of God and the Son of Man. Jesus was born both as flesh and also born as God. He put to death that Old Man, which was the sin nature of Adam.

He commands you to do the same. You do not have to nail yourself to the Corss today physically. Rather, you do that by faith. The just shall live by faith.

Righteousness now is by faith in the atoning, finished work of the Cross of Jesus Christ. It is not through the Law.

Where Is Your Faith?

Romans 10:2-4 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Self-righteousness is a stench in God's nostrils. It is connected to false religions, false gospels, another Jesus, and the glorification of self.

Self-righteousness leads to deception. God will send a spirit of stupor on those who choose to follow the path of self.

You are justified by faith.

Romans 3:21-23 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Now, righteousness has been perfected through Jesus Christ fulfilling the Law for you. The

Law passed away in Christ. Remember, that you must never try to go under the Law. If you do, you'll receive another Jesus or a spirit of stupor.

Romans 11:8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

Conclusion

Take up your cross and follow Jesus.

Matthew 16:24-25 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

There is a big choice you have to make.

God calls you, so it should be easy to come to the right decision if you truly surrender, repent, and lay your life down. There is no way out of this world, and out of the sentence of death, except through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. It is only through the finished, atoning work of the Cross that you can be saved.

If you wonder if you are ready to take up your cross and die to self, consider these questions:

• Are you willing to follow Jesus even if it means losing some of your closest friends?

• Are you willing to follow Jesus even if it means alienation from your family?

• Are you willing to follow Jesus even if it means the loss of your reputation?

• Are you willing to follow Jesus even if it means losing your job?

• Are you willing to follow Jesus even if it means losing your life?

John 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

Are you prepared to take up your Cross and follow Him, crucify that old carnal self, the seed of Adam, destruction, and death?

Are you willing to lay down all of your selfish desires, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus by faith?

This is the true message of the Cross.